Day Eleven: Arches National Park

We arrived in Moab, UT with two missions:  enjoy a world-famous Moab Diner milkshake and visit Arches National Park. 

So, on Monday evening we had our first milkshakes (yes, first).  Kevin had strawberry-banana and I had chocolate.  A big ‘THANK YOU’ goes out to Mr. Lockhart for sharing this travel tidbit…these milkshakes were so thick and yummy that we had to go back the next day (we did try a meal first this time)!  Kevin had Chocolate Caramel Cashew and I had Chocolate Banana…yumJ  I guess we were making up for the missed ice cream earlier in the trip. 

We spent the night at the Red Rock Lodge.  Kevin was a bit nervous as we pulled in…the outside appearance didn’t exactly scream ‘Come on in and rest peacefully on a clean, comfy bed!’  We couldn't help but think that our hotel luck had just run out. (Moab was a happening place and all the reputable chains were booked.)  However, Kevin emerged from the office with a grin and a ‘thank you’ for me…evidently the manager is a Georgia fan and gave us an extra 10% off the room because I was an alumni!  (I secretly thought it might be for the room conditions.)  As we carefully and cautiously opened the room door, we were both pleasantly surprised with what was on the other sideJ   

We arrived at Arches National Park coated in sunscreen, wearing hats, armed with sunglasses, and carrying a gallon of water.  (Unfortunately, there was only one ticket left for the Fiery Furnace hike—Kevin was unsure about booking on-line.)  Anyway, we set out to see Balanced Rock before meeting the ranger for The Windows hike.  As we made our way past the Visitor Center, I couldn’t but think that some of these massive rocks looked just like Mississippi Mud fudge while others looked liked the products of a beginning pottery studentJ

Balanced Rock is pretty impressive.  As we followed the path back to the car I heard a rattling sound and stopped. Then Kevin stopped and looked, too.  We never saw the [rattlesnake], but it was a very distinct sound!

Our guide was a young Chicago girl just out of college trying to decide what to do in life.  She was personable, welcomed questions, and seemed to be very knowledgeable about the park.  Kevin was most impressed with the tapping technique to locate hollow spots in the rocks.  As we walked, she and I heard the ‘rattling’ sound—she confirmed that it was the sound of a rattlesnake.  We did not see it, but she saw them for the first time in that area.